Everything a tourist needs to know about TC "Bukovel": location, ski season, infrastructure, prices, contacts, etc.
In 2019, the tourist complex "Bukovel" was known to almost everyone, and most reviews about this place were extremely positive. The resort offers European-level ski slopes with reasonable prices, making it a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts and winter sports lovers. While most visitors come from the CIS countries, foreign tourists are also increasingly drawn to Bukovel.
Over the past 20 years, TC "Bukovel" has experienced remarkable growth, attracting more clients each year. The construction of infrastructure and new slopes continues at a rapid pace. Catering to customer preferences has allowed the resort to operate year-round, offering active vacations even during the summer months for those who enjoy fresh air, mountains, and forests. In its price category, the ski resort "Bukovel" stands out for its quantity and quality of services.
Geography of Ski Resort Bukovel
The tourist complex "Bukovel" is situated in Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk region, approximately 100 kilometers southwest of Ivano-Frankivsk city. The nearest airport is also located in Ivano-Frankivsk. The closest district center to TC "Bukovel" is the town of Yaremche, which is about 35 kilometers from the resort. There are many villages scattered around the area, with Polyanitsa being located just one kilometer away from Bukovel.
The road from the airport passes through these mentioned settlements on the way to Bukovel, which has turned Polyanitsa into a promising tourist village. The Bukovel TC itself is a completely artificial settlement, built from scratch, and it's now so close to Polyanitsa that they are expected to merge in the near future. The geographical center of the ski resort "Bukovel" can now be roughly considered to be Lake Molodosti.
Nature and Climate
Visitors to TC "Bukovel" need not worry about the unusual climate. The resort falls within the temperate continental zone, characterized by warm summers and mild winters. This means that Bukovel is an ideal destination for winter sports in the winter and offers relaxation in a natural setting for sunbathing during the summer.
TC "Bukovel" stands as a shining example of a year-round resort. Specially prepared slopes transform into excellent ski tracks in winter, while the mountains provide an ideal setting for hiking and climbing in the summer. Within the resort complex, there is also a large lake where visitors can fish and swim.
Mountains within the Ski Resort
The ski resort "Bukovel" encompasses several closely located mountains and settlements situated on the slopes and in the valley. The unique configuration of these mountains allows for early snowfall and prolonged snow retention, resulting in relatively calm slopes with minimal wind.
Currently, the following mountains are developed within GC "Bukovel":
Mountain Bukovel - with a height of 1128 meters, the resort takes its name from this mountain.
Bulchineha Mountain - standing at a height of 1456 meters.
Mountain Dovga - reaching an altitude of 1373 meters.
Chernaya Kleva Mountain - at an elevation of 1242 meters.
Gora Babi Pogar - with a height of 1181 meters.
Each of these mountains at the "Bukovel" resort offers slopes of varying levels of difficulty.
Skiing Season in Bukovel
The official skiing season in TC "Bukovel" is determined by the management. While the exact start and end dates may vary from year to year based on weather conditions, the slopes are typically open in November, and the season ends by late May. All ski routes are equipped with artificial snow generators, ensuring that the slopes at the "Bukovel" ski resort remain ski-ready for an extended period as needed.
Entertainment on the Territory of Bukovel Resort
During the winter season, visitors to the tourist complex "Bukovel" can enjoy various types of recreation, including:
Mountain skiing
Snowboarding
Sledding
Ice Hotel Bukovel: A unique structure made of snow and ice in the form of a hotel. The building and furniture are crafted from ice, with an interior temperature of -5°C. The hotel features 5 rooms.
A skating rink on the lake
Winter Fair at GC "Bukovel"
Zip Bike
Snowmobile riding
Snow tubing
And many more outdoor activities
With favorable natural conditions, the ski resort "Bukovel" offers excellent ski slopes for more than half of the year, even without extreme cold temperatures during the winter season.
From late May, following the velvet season, the resort transitions to the off-season. During this period, known as the low season, TC "Bukovel" offers a wide range of entertainment and recreational activities, including:
Lake holidays
Bukovel children's summer camp
Sports facilities for various sports
Cycling
Riding on sightseeing elevators
Rope-jumping
Extreme bike courses through the forest
Scooter riding
Quadcopter rides
Trout fishing
Extreme park
Skalodrome
Horseback riding
Lake diving
Water skiing
Wakeboarding
And much more
A Little History of the Resort
TC "Bukovel" has a history of less than 20 years, dating back to 2000 when an agreement was signed in Kiev to create a year-round resort complex to serve customers.
By the end of 2001, work commenced to install and launch the first ski lift on the resort's premises, which is now located on the northern slope of Mount Bukovel, with a length of 690 meters. A year later, a cable car with a length of over a kilometer was installed on the north-western slope.
In 2003, just another year later, the ski resort "Bukovel" opened its second slope on the mountain with a track labeled as 2A and a two-chairlift. In 2004, the 7A piste was introduced.
The tourist complex "Bukovel" gained popularity rapidly:
2003 - Bukovel was visited by more than 48 thousand people.
In the 2005/2006 season - more than 200 thousand people.
The following season, this number doubled.
The subsequent year, it doubled again to 840,000 people.
In 2010/2011, the tourist complex "Bukovel" registered 1.2 million vacationers.
Based on previous data, we can predict that in the 2019/2020 season, Bukovel will be visited by at least 2 million people.
About 10% of all visitors are foreigners.
As of the end of 2016, TC Bukovel was a private business, but it later passed into state ownership. Currently, the state's share of the resort is being sold.
Infrastructure and Services of the Tourist Complex
"Bukovel" offers a wide range of high-quality services and a developed and convenient infrastructure to its clients. On the resort's premises, you can find mountains, ski slopes, lifts, equipment rentals, ski schools, medical centers, and catering facilities. Many of Bukovel's slopes and lifts are equipped with webcams, allowing you to view real-time conditions online.
The ski resort "Bukovel" utilizes five mountains, offering a total of approximately 56 kilometers of slopes:
9 blue pistes with a combined length of 24 kilometers
12 red trails spanning 26 kilometers
7 black trails covering 5 kilometers
Lifts are installed on all the mountains, with a total of 13 lifts, 12 of which are chairlifts.
Fun Places in Bukovel Tourist Complex
For those who are tired of snow and skis, there are other fun places on the territory of the Bukovel tourist complex:
Voda Club: At an altitude of 900 meters above sea level, there is Lake Molodosti, where the temperature is maintained year-round at 27°C. It features a beach and a separate terrace for children.
And other services, with a full list available on the official website.
Very often vacationers come with their children, for whom the resort "Bukovel" has prepared places for vacation with children:
Artek-Bukovel.
Children's entertainment center "Leopark".
Day winter camp.
Kinder Club.
Children's playgrounds and attractions.
Rental of children's bicycles and scooters.
About prices in Bukovel (2019/2020)
To understand how profitable to vacation in Bukovel, you can compare the average prices for the same services with resorts from Europe.
People used to buy elevator tickets to get on the piste, but now instead they use ski-pass - a season ticket that counts the number of descents or the time of visit. You can buy a ski pass by going to the online shop shop bukovel info. There you can also check the online ski pass, its balance and statistics. You can even buy a ski pass for a day or half a day.
In GC "Bukovel," you can also buy a club card. Vip cards have big discounts on services, vip ski pass will give you a discount, and vip brilliant will allow you to ski unlimited all season without paying attention to rates and costs.
Full list of prices of ski resort "Bukovel" can be found on the official website of the complex, here you can see the most popular services and their prices: skipass in Bukovel costs 1786 UAH for 3 days, 2820 UAH for 5 days, and 5010 UAH for 10 days. In Europe, prices are usually higher: it's hard to find resorts where a ski pass costs less than 25 EUR; the average price is 50 EUR per day.
The situation with equipment and accommodation is about the same. Along with the prices in "Bukovel" provides European quality pistes and service, which attracts more and more people every year.
Another important factor in the cost of recreation is the location of the nearest village to the slopes. Often resorts are located far from where you live, so you will spend time on the road, in TC "Bukovel" you can hire a hotel near the elevators themselves. Those who value comfort and time should consider staying in Polyanitsa, on the territory of the resort itself.
For those who like to save money, there is a special time - the very beginning and end of the season, during these periods the prices for services of ski resort "Bukovel" are significantly reduced, they can be bought cheaply, while the action is in effect and there are discounts. Also, a good solution will be to book accommodation in advance, which will save a significant amount of money. For this purpose, you can use the OLX website.